The Night is Dark
by MoonyAndDogStar
Summary: Pietro x Reader fic. The dark terrifies you. When the power goes out, the panic sets in.


You prepared yourself for bed just as you did every night. Your meticulous routine hadn't changed in years. You slipped on your pajamas, washed your face, brushed your teeth, settled down with a book and read by the light of your bedside lamp before going to sleep.

You had just finished a long and stressful mission and being back in the Avengers tower with your own soft, warm bed and a hot shower was the most satisfying feeling you could think of. You were curled up with one of your favorite books, never mind that you'd read it a thousand times. You had picked out a pair of black leggings and a loose fitting t-shirt which was peppered with little cat doodles as well as sweatshirt which you had borrowed from Pietro while on the jet this afternoon. You made a mental note to give it back to him and thank him for letting you use it.

It was getting late and your body was barely able to keep itself awake. You were just about to put your book down and go to sleep when all the lights shut off. Immediate panic set in. The dark terrified you. It reminded you of all the horrific experiments that had been done on you in Hydra's base. You had been locked up in the dark, injected with all sorts of chemicals, and been subject to invasive tests that left you nauseous and gagging on the hard floor. This darkness only served to cause all those memories to come racing back.

Normally, you had a small night light plugged in across the room. None of the others knew this and you didn't really intend to tell them. It was embarrassing. You were a grown woman that was still afraid of the dark. But now the power was out and so was your night light. The room was pitch dark and your heart was slamming in your chest. Adrenaline coursed through your veins as you sat paralyzed with fear. Your breathing was ragged and shallow as you debated what to do. You settled for screaming because it was the only thing that you seemed to be capable of right now. You screamed until the door came bursting open. You couldn't see the shadowy figure standing in the doorway.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey. What's going on?" Pietro's thick accent filled your room. He walked over to the edge of your bed.

"Are you alright?" he said sitting down beside you.

Tears dripped down your face as you tried to force the bad memories out.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked quietly.

You nodded slowly. "Something like that…" you mumbled.

"What happened?" Pietro whispered climbing all the way into the bed with you and pulling you close to him so your back was rested on his front with one arm wrapped around your stomach. He gently stroked your hair and tried to comfort you.

You weren't sure you wanted to talk about it but just then the emergency lights came on in the hallway, casting a faint glow into the room. You turned to face Pietro, staring up at his silver hair and electric blue eyes.

"You'll think I'm childish." you said as you looked away.

"Of course I won't." he stated.

"I'm terrified of the dark. I have been ever since the experiments that gave me my powers. The stuff they did to me in the dark…the things I saw…the hallucinations, the pain…"

"Why would I think that you are childish?" Pietro whispered sadly. "I know that pain too. And even if I didn't…" he trailed off for a moment before looking into your eyes. "Why would I judge you for your fear?"

"I-" you thought for a moment. You had just assumed the rest of the team would think of you as silly or stupid or naïve if they knew. You stared at Pietro for a moment, wondering why you deserved him as a friend. How was he so understanding in the way he comforted you? You didn't get it. He didn't laugh. He didn't say anything. He just held you. Your breathing slowed and your heart rate went back to normal. Pietro wrapped one arm around your back and held the back of your head with his other, pulling you towards him so he could kiss the top of your head.

Your arms snaked up his chest and around his neck, hugging him and pressing your face into the crook of his neck. "Thank you." you whispered, your lips moving against his skin. You placed a tiny kiss on his shoulder and he leaned back to look at you.

He leaned down toward your face, eyes closing, waiting for you to close the gap. And you do, of course, almost immediately. You feel a warm blush spreading over your cheeks like wildfire. His lips are warm. Everything about him is warm. You forget about the dark, forget the pain, the torture. The world melts away and it's just you and Pietro. You tangle your fingers in that silver hair of his and pull gently. It keeps you grounded, keeps you from dissolving into the oblivion you've created together. And he seems to like it. He breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against yours, your breath mingling in the small space between your faces.

"I…whoa." you managed, breathing heavily.

"You didn't see that coming?" Pietro teased.

"No, actually."

He smiled and hugged you, all thoughts of the dark gone from your mind.

"Will you stay with me?" you asked him.

"For as long as you want me.

You laid down and closed your eyes and felt Pietro wrap his arm around you as he scooted forward and pressed his body against you. You drifted off to sleep with a small smile on your face.

oOo

When Wanda woke up, she went to check in on Pietro, but he wasn't in his room. She figured he must be somewhere nearby because he had left his keys on the side table. She walked around until she spotted a mess of silver through the open doorway of your room. And there was her brother, sprawled out in the bed, laying on his back with you curled up next to him, one arm around his middle.

She smiled to herself. You both deserved to be happy.


End file.
